Although tailgate extension devices and methods utilized to extend the bed of a vehicle are well known in the art, most of those devices and methods disclose modifications to the external structure and appearance of the tailgate and/or the vehicle. In addition, the prior art is generally limited to disclosing that the bed of the vehicle can be extended only by a fixed distance, rather than a variable distance. The tailgate of the present invention overcomes the limitations in the prior art by providing a tailgate in which the structure and mechanisms used to extend the bed of the vehicle are all contained within the tailgate itself. As a result, the tailgate looks just like a normal tailgate that does not provide the ability to extend the bed of a vehicle as described herein. The tailgate of the present invention also overcomes the prior art limitation of only extending the bed of a vehicle by a fixed amount.